Community meeting over landfill stench

The owners of a landfill site in Shropshire are holding a drop-in session for nearby residents following complaints about smells.

People living near Granville tip on Grange Lane in Redhill, Telford, previously told the BBC "rotten egg" odours from the facility forced them to keep windows closed.

The Environment Agency is working with the operators after a number of reports from members of the public.

In a newsletter to residents, site owners Redhill Contractors acknowledged the concerns and said it took them very seriously.

In a previous update in April, the operator said the site, "like every landfill in the country", from time-to-time generated odours from gas due to degrading waste.

It said its sites were separated into cells, which were lined to prevent materials escaping into the ground and capped when full.

While seven cells at the site have already been filled and capped, wet weather has led to delays in capping others.

It is uncapped cells that are most likely to generate smells, the operator said.

It confirmed it was working with the Environment Agency on a plan of action and cell capping was expected to restart next month and be completed by September.

"In the interim, extra odour reduction measures have been put in place, such as drilling additional wells into the area to be capped, so that gases can be captured and removed off-site," the newsletter added.

In a statement, the Environment Agency told the BBC it was continuing to receive complaints about odours from the site.

It added its officers were monitoring it and had instructed operators to "carry out a number of actions including works to... reduce odour leaks".

The public drop-in session will take place at Meeting Point House, in Telford, from 17:30 BST on Thursday.

Landfill site representatives will be there to answer questions, alongside staff from the Environment Agency, local authorities and the UK Health Security Agency.